Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in the meeting with her Karnataka counterpart Jagadish Shettar on Thursday highlighted the plight of farmers. She said, “The present storage of Mettur reservoir is alarming and the prospect of bringing the Samba crop to maturity is very bleak. The northeast monsoon failed and as a result, the storage of Mettur reservoir on November 27 was 6.34 tmcft after accounting the dead storage and domestic water supply.
The reservoir was opened in September as against the usual opening in June every year and water is to be provided till the middle of February 2013. The present storage is inadequate and in the absence of release from Karnataka, a large section of the farming community will be put to immense suffering. Having already lost the Kuruvai crop, the farmers will not be able to save even the single Samba crop if water shortage continues.”
According to Ms Jayalalithaa, the deficit in the basin is as much as 40 per cent as assessed by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee. The distress should have been shared by both the states and as per the tribunal order, Karnataka should have released at least 60 per cent of water.
“Tamil Nadu, as per the tribunal order, should have received about 167.16 tmcft during a period of five months between June and October. However, we have received about 47.31 tmcft. However, adopting the pro-rata sharing of distress, as envisaged by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee, TN should have received 100.85 tmcft and there is a shortfall of 53.4 tmcft. As the state is facing unsatisfactory monsoon, TN needs additional 65 days of irrigation supply to support the present standing crop. I expect Karnataka to make good the deficit of 53.4 tmcft before December,” she said.
And as an interim measure, I request you to justify the faith reposed by Supreme Court and order the immediate release of 30 tmcft and to further release another 23.4 tmcft before the end of December end,” she said.